Newmarket resident Krista Sommer has watched The Handmaid’s Tale from the beginning.
The hit series brought her to the downtown area when it started filming in Newmarket last spring. Like many fans, she got a glimpse of the action around the Old Town Hall.
“It’s really cool to see your hometown in such a popular show,” she said. “It is cool to look for landmarks.”
Newmarket’s Old Town Hall and the surrounding area are getting attention, appearing in The Handmaid’s Tale season 5 trailer released Aug. 24. The top of Old Town Hall appears in the trailer, as well as one scene featuring the alleyway next to it. The trailer on the Hulu Youtube channel has more than 9.3 million views.
Getting to see the filming was an exciting experience, Sommer said. She also got to meet lead actress Elizabeth Moss after a shoot.
“I thought it would be really cool to see some of the scenes prior to it airing and then look forward to seeing them when watching the actual show. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the actors as well,” Sommer said. “When she came out, she was so nice to everyone that was waiting because it was cold and getting late … That was quite a thrill.”
The filming garnered some positive reactions from local businesses, some of which altered their storefronts for the shooting. It is unknown how much Newmarket will appear in the upcoming show, but crews spent several days filming in the area in March, with another filming session in June.
The reception helped prompt the town to adjust its film policy to differentiate between small and large productions and streamline the process for larger projects. The town also gave away $20,000 of the filming fees through shopping vouchers.
The season will begin airing Sept. 14, with 10 episodes in this season. You can watch the show in Canada on Crave or through AppleTV.
“I plan to watch it weekly on Crave while sitting in front of the TV in my big comfy chair,” Sommer said. “I am counting down the days until Sept. 14!”
You can watch the trailer on Hulu’s Youtube channel.
