From small group to big-time champs, Paperback Rhino — the only improv team from Iowa to ever make it to National College Improv finals and ranked 13th among college-level teams in the United States and Canada — is set to open for famous New York comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade on Nov. 30 at 10 p.m. in the IMU.

Tickets are available at the IMU Hub or on Ticketmaster, $5 in advance or $7 on the day of the show.

A group of four or five friends practicing improvisation games similar to “Whose Line is It Anyway” founded the local comedy group in 2003.

Now, the troupe has semi-monthly appearances at Public Space One, 129 E. Washington St., with a consistent fan base of 40 to 60 people.

The two-time winning champions are set to advance on to the March 9, 2013, national finals in Chicago. It will compete against 13 regional championship teams selected from 180 North American teams for the title of the best troupe in North America.

Stars such as Horatio Sanz and Amy Poehler have started off with the Upright Citizens Brigade.

— by Audrey Dwyer